When you first heard the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a city named Abbottabad, how did you think that city's name was spelled? If you’re one for sounding things out, chances are you would have gone with “Abadabad.” That’s the spelling Jeremy Lee Given assumed, and named his band after it. Shortly thereafter, he was receiving tons of hits online when everyone in the world was searching for news stories on the city in Pakistan.

Brilliant? We think so. It’s this kind of creativity that’s helped Abadabad generate some loud buzz, especially in the blogosphere that has been very kind to him. Check out Taylor’s interview with Jeremy below to learn about the tools he uses as an independent musician, his philosophy on management, how he records to VHS, and more.

Additionally, watch performances of "Ashley" and "California Birds."

Abadabad Quick Tips

Next time an infamous fugitive is killed, name your band after where it happened.

The “right” tools are different for every band, but Jeremy’s had luck getting publicity by posting his material to soundcloud, tumblr, and bandcamp. Make sure to follow up and say thank you when bloggers re-post your material!

If you host music on BandCamp, do your research when tagging it. If you can find a good balance of tags that are relevant to your sound and unique, the more traction you’ll get. Abadabad is tagged with Brooklyn, iced coffee, ray bans, urban outfitters, chill wave, and reverb. They don’t even have to be terms traditionally associated with music!

Everyone knows that a manager will take a lot of the grunt work off your shoulders and allow you to spend more time writing and rehearsing, but that doesn’t mean they’ll have you on the top of the charts overnight. Patience is key in any managerial relationship, and it’s imperative that you understand that going in.

There’s a certain sound / style / fan base that works best on vinyl. While that’s a debate for another day, don’t forget about the possibility of pressing your new release on vinyl when deciding release formats. Vinyl has been and still is experiencing an intense revival.

Home recording can be incredibly spontaneous and convenient, which is a good thing. The recording of Abadabad's “Park Slope” was recorded within an hour one random morning at home because he had the proper tools with him when creativity struck.

Every VHS player has recording capabilities. If you find one that’s stereo, you can buy used tapes or new tapes and just play with the gain, running audio to VHS. The sound on VHS has got a lot of headroom, and Jeremy thinks the format will be popular for recording in the future because it’s inexpensive and reliable.